I am an engineer. I have three college degrees and working on a 4th, "MBA". I have two P.E. licenses. The longest I have ever remained in one job is about four years. Some jobs are much shorter than that six months or less.
I have put rockets in space, drove the train that I helped engineer, and been involved in some other exciting projects.
I have also been down to my last dime after almost two years of unemployment.
A recent study by NSPE sez that the average time on the job for an engineer is now about 3.5 years and the average is getting shorter. It may be even less for those in the rapidly changing high tech jobs. You can't plan any kind of life around an engineering career.
Another study sez that the average engineering career will pay for itself after about fifteen years. This includes all mannner of things such as lost earnings while attending school, paying off education loans, the fact that engineers rarely get to work a forty hours week......and that is the average so at least half of you are not doing that good.
Meanwhile our engineering professional organizations, (I belong to five of these) shamelessly promote the profession to all manner of young people. Some of them are going to die ugly and waste years of their life persuing a dead end, engineering career.
I too have put rockets in space, (and in the south pacific ocean, opps, I have also put rockets in SSB(N)s. I've also left the profession to teach and found teaching more rewarding but paying less. Many engineers went out of their way to tell me that they thought they would be good at teaching when I left. This is a second career opportunity for most engineers, math and science teachers are in high demand today.
I went back to engineering and with a BSEE, MSEE, MBA, and CSP I was still laid off twice. Engineers need to be willing to change locations as the job requires. More engineers work in the field than behind a desk and board ..er..computer. When I retired I was told I would be missed and have been offered consulting jobs back at the rocket factory. Retirement is working for me however and the young engineers need the openings. (If left to their own devices my firm wanted to keep a few of us old timers while converting the majority of the work force to younger & lower salary engineers. Thats what is happening.